On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Gerry Starnes M.Ed.
Gerry Starnes Quick Facts
Main Areas: Contemporary Shamanic PracticeCareer Focus: Teacher, Spiritual Coach
Affiliation: Shamanic Passages, Society for Shamanic Practitioners, Ravens Grove Foundation for Healing,
Gerry Starnes, began his career journey in 1977 when, after earning a M.Ed. in School Psychology, he became a counselor working primarily with young people at serious risk for self-injury and elopement. Under the direction and on-going training of psychiatrists and psychologists, he witnessed the effects of both the standard behavioral and medical models of treatment, as well as the new models of holistic medicine then emerging. After a few years, he recognized that something significant was missing from traditional therapeutic modalities.
The next thirty years became a quest to discover methods of healing that could address the needs of Western society on a level that was accessible to everyone. In this search, he found himself following a serpentine route that lead him through many teachings and traditions. Along the way he began to realize that however different they might seem, they shared a common organic connection or grounding, which was not well understood or defined.
In 1996, Gerry put his growing experience and knowledge into a new approach: developing Internal Dialog using journal writing as a vehicle. The Conversations Within website (www.journal-writing.com) presented this approach to a world-wide audience. He also augmented and supported this material by creating and presenting Journal workshops.
In the late 1990s, Gerry encountered "contemporary shamanism" through his work with Wilbert Alix, then Director of The Natale Institute in America. As he studied shamanic practice, he realized that this ancient approach to healing and wisdom was the thread he had been seeking. During that time, he began to offer individual sessions based on his experience with both traditional and alternative healing modalities. He founded the first shamanic journey circle in Austin in 2003, which has now grown to more than four circles per month.
In 2005, Gerry co-founded and became the Executive Director of the Ravens Grove Foundation for Healing. This not for profit organization focuses on the application of complementary techniques to the issue of trauma and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Foundation's current focus is on treating the effects of sexual abuse and war trauma.
Gerry currently offers classes, workshops and retreats statewide based on contemporary shamanic and traditional personal development practices. He is also a founding member of the Society for Shamanic Practitioners.
